A handful of Occupy Ottawa members returned to Confederation Park Monday night and staged a sit-in to mark the one-year anniversary of their original protest.
According to the Ottawa Citizen, the protesters, estimated at about a dozen, did not plan to camp overnight.
In an email to Centretown News, Occupy Ottawa member Kurtis Benedetti said the protest was intended to raise awareness of what he refers to as the undemocratic actions of the Harper government.
“Harper and his government have rammed through undemocratic omnibus bills, cut backs for immigrants, lower wages, union busting, indigenous rights abuses, environmental destruction, police brutality and has tried his very best to silence scientists as well as any politically and environmentally aware citizens who oppose his political ideology,” wrote Benedetti.
The police presence outnumbered the protesters, says Ottawa police Const. Marc Soucy.
Though Soucy could not give an exact number for police turnout, he says there were both Ottawa police and RCMP officers present.
Three people were arrested for trespassing, he says, but none were charged and all were released quickly.
Police presence was excessive and officers were verbally aggressive, Occupier Shane Davis-Young told the Citizen.
“People who had wanted information or a bowl of soup were scared off by the police presence,” he said.
Police regularly monitor parks, says Soucy, and were extra vigilant Monday as they knew something might be planned for Occupy Ottawa’s anniversary.